The Graham Album Review
#1926

The
jam band scene remains active, and has been diversifying over the
years. Onegroup
that has been a constant presence for some
20 years is Umphrey’s McGee, which formed in 1997 on the campus of
Notre Dame University. In noting their 20th
anniversary, they went into the studio for their 11th
full-length studio album, called It’s
Not Us.

Umphrey’s
McGee
formed out of members of two groups on Notre Dame campus, and like
many such bands
started
out
by
doing covers, though from the outset
they showed their eclecticism. To help them line up gigs from venues
looking for experienced bands, they named their first record Greatest
Hits Volume Three.
And they have been going their own way since then. One of the notable
aspects of Umphrey’s McGee is their
level of musicianship. Their music has been called “im-prog” for
their fusion of the
improvisations of jam bands with the elaborate compositions and
arrangements of the progressive rockers. They put a lot of effort
into their live shows, and like some other groups on the jam band
scene, they encourage recording of their shows by
fans,
and was one of the first groups
to offer instant recordings of their shows that their fans could buy
on the way out of the concert.
One
of their more recent innovations was an optional premium headphone
setup so audience members could hear the show straight off the mixing
console.

The
group notes on their website that with their
20th
anniversary last
year,
they were anxious to come up with all new material, and also embody
the various facets of their
sounds, from the progressive to the near-heavy metal, to the funk
influenced and even an acoustic ballad. To bring back the spirit of
the early days of the group, five of the six members, who now have
their own families and
live scattered across the country,
moved into a rental condo near the recording
studio
in Chicago where
they did most of their work,
while guitarist Brendan Bayliss was
already
living
nearby.

The
result is a strong album that largely lives up to the band’s
intentions. The one thing they did not do, and it was intentional,
was to include lengthy jams on the studio record. But there are some
tracks that allow the group to stretch out musically. As usual for
the band, the It’s
Not Us
is largely self-contained, though there is an appearance by notable
jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman. Most of the material comes from the
pens of guitarists Bayliss and Jake Cininger, though there are
contributions by others.

The
album opens with the closest thing it has to a commercial rock track,
The Silent Type,
with the band holding back its musical eclecticism
and cranking up the volume. Still, it’s definitely a cut above most
such material on the pop music scene. <<>>

Also
with
volume cranked up
is following piece called Looks,
which brings in an oddly funky beat with some heavy-metal guitar
riffs. <<>>

More
in keeping with Umphrey’s McGee’s reputation for eclecticism is
Whistle Kids
with its actual
whistling and the band’s kind of progressive funk influenced
groove. <<>>

Umhrey’s
McGee gets more into its art-rock
side on one its four lengthier tracks, Maybe
Someday,
which unfolds in sections with the band emphasizing more ensemble
playing rather then long jammy instrumental solos. <<>>

Another
longer
track is called Remind
Me
which is really two separate pieces with a sort of appealingly
melodic funk first section <<>> before it goes all-out
heavy metal. <<>>

Located
right after that on the album, to provide a maximum juxtaposition
effect, is a song called You
& You Alone,
an acoustic ballad with a string section. <<>>

The
track featuring jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman is Speak
Up,
which is Umphrey’s McGee at their best, an interesting mix of
styles with that goes back and forth between funk and melodic rock.
<<>>

A
further
highlight
of the album is Piranhas
which also features some of the band’s musical trademarks, along
with some of its best lyrics. <<>>

Probably
my favorite track on the album is one called Forks
written by the band’s two guitarists, which also highlights
Umphrey’s
McGee’s
strengths, both in composing and their playing. It’s a kind of
tuneful piece but much into the progressive rock accoutrements.

It’s
Not Us,
the eleventh studio album by the 20-year-old progressive rock/jam
band Umphrey’s
McGee
is among its best. They aimed to come up with as much new sounding
material as possible, but maintain most elements of their trademark
sound. The playing is first-rate, the tunes are generally
interesting and encompass a lot of what the band likes to do.

Our
grade for sound quality is a B-Plus. The drums sound especially good,
and most of the time, the mix
is fairly clean, but there there
is heavy volume
compression, making things pretty
much the same loud
volume
most of the time, and there are a couple of tracks with intentionally
distorted, over-driven vocals, which for me is always
a cause for serious demerits.

The
album’s title, It’s
Not Us,
by the way is meant as a tribute to the band’s fans, saying that it
is because of the fans
that the band is doing what it’s doing. Twenty years on, Umphrey’s
McGee remains one of the best on the jam band scene, and their new
album nicely
highlights
their wide-ranging sound.

(c) Copyright 2018 George D. Graham. All rights reserved.This review may not be copied to another Web site without written permission.